Chapter 41: Entrance to the Tomb

"Are you guys leaving or not? Hurry up!" Luo Mei called out to the crowd from a distance, forcing Du Yunzhang, who was about to argue a few more times, to give up. Linlang, who was standing by, muttered, "Brother Du, don't be so stubborn. There's no need to argue about something that everyone can see."

Du Yunzhang thought, that's right. No one here is blind, deaf, or stupid. Everyone knows what they say, what they do, and how they behave. Since no one is talking about it, why should he be so heartless and ask?

Luo Mei led his group around the abandoned village, halfway around it, until they reached the point where the village met the hills. The slope sloped steeply, with only half of a broken brick wall below and a platform seven or eight meters high above. The slope's inclination made direct climbing impossible, and there were also some tangled shrubs on top. Luo Mei called Fan Zheng over and asked if he had a strong rope. Fan Zheng called his subordinate, Yuan Laoer, and found a long and strong rope from his backpack.

"Are you going to tie a rope down from above, and then we'll all climb up one by one?" Fan Zheng asked, "But how do we hang the rope up there?"

"How difficult is this?" Luo Mei calmly found one end of the rope and put it around her little monkey's waist. Then, as if giving an order, she pointed towards the top of the steep slope. The little monkey seemed to understand her meaning immediately and jumped up, landing on the platform in a few leaps.

"I say, when did you get such a treasure?" Du Yunzhang came over and asked Luo Mei.

"In our line of work, everyone has some unique methods. As for how I got it, there's no need to confess to you, right?" Luo Mei said indifferently.

Soon, a squeaking sound came from the platform. Luo Mei understood that this was the monkey sending a signal to its owner. She pulled the other end of the rope and felt that it was tightened. She said to everyone, "Okay, let's go up one by one. I'll go first."

Luo Mei tightened his belt, fastened the handguards on the rope, and then, pulling the rope, easily climbed to the platform. Next came Fan Zheng's group. Although Yuan Lao Er and Tan Zhuozi had physical defects, they were very agile and in no way inferior to Luo Mei. Fan Zheng was no ordinary person either, and he climbed up in a few steps right behind them.

Among the people behind, Master Lan and his two concubines were in a dilemma. But to Yin Chuan's surprise, Master Lan did not seem to worry about his bloated body, but was more worried about his two concubines. He said to Yin Chuan with a playful smile: "Brother Yin, you see, my two wives are not as agile as the third concubine. They are both weak and spoiled women. Let me discuss with you, can you and Brother Du take the trouble to get them up? Thank you for your help."

"Oh, if you really knew the trouble would come, why did you bring these two ladies here to suffer?" Linlang lost no time in making sarcastic remarks.

"Master Lan, it's not that we don't want to help," Du Yunzhang said. "I'm sure the two ladies are your sweethearts. If Old Yin and I want to get them up there, there will inevitably be physical contact. We're not trying to be too lenient. If you're unhappy after getting up there and hold a grudge against us, we'll lose more than we gain."

"How could that be? It was me who originally proposed it. How could I bear a grudge against you two?" Master Lan hastily explained, "If you two are still suspicious, I'll leave you a written note to reassure you." As he spoke, he raised his left hand and took out a pen from his waist. The Fifth Wife took the notebook in due course, and Master Lan took it and wrote a few words on it:

During this trip, I will not cause any trouble to Yin Chuan, Du Yunzhang, or Ou Yelinlang. This is a testament to my actions. — Rand's handwriting

He tore off the page from the notebook and handed it to Yin Chuan, "Are you three relieved now?"

Yin Chuan took the note, glanced at it nonchalantly, and put it in his pocket. "Well, since Master Lan is so open, we won't say anything more. Old Du, please give me a hand."

Du Yunzhang glanced at the Fourth Concubine and saw that she was still clutching her arms tightly. He said helplessly to Master Lan, "It's not that I don't care. You saw what happened by the river just now. Your concubine is as frightened as a lunatic. What should I do?"

Master Lan hurried over and kept coaxing the Fourth Wife, telling her to relax and that no one would steal her things. This went on for quite a while, and the people on the platform were getting a little impatient. Luo Mei shouted, "What's going on down there? Come up quickly!"

"We'll be there! We'll be there!" Master Lan responded. He then threatened the Fourth Concubine, saying that this place was not far from a cemetery and that there might be ghosts haunting it. Even if they all went up, no one would care. After this constant coaxing and intimidation, the Fourth Concubine finally agreed to let Du Yunzhang lead her up to the platform.

After a lot of trouble, everyone finally reached the top. Yin Chuan was worried about whether Master Lan could get up smoothly, but just as he turned around, Master Lan had already reached the platform behind Linlang.

"Is everyone here?" Luo Mei nodded, then continued, "The map shows an unassuming mound on the east side of this low hill. The entrance to the Shen family tomb is right there. Let's go. It's best to get into the tomb before daybreak."

Everyone had no choice but to follow Luo Mei's instructions and continued on their way. After passing a forest, they finally reached the mountainside facing east. Director Fan Zheng looked left and right and said to Luo Mei, "Where are the graves here? Did you look at the map wrong?"

"Impossible! I can't be mistaken!" Luo Mei said confidently. She put the little monkey on her shoulder to the ground and gestured to it. The little monkey looked very clever, as if it immediately understood what Luo Mei wanted it to do. It jumped to the treetop, glanced around from the pergola, and after a few "squeaks", jumped into the grass to the north. Seeing this, Luo Mei followed the monkey, and the others followed behind.

When we walked around the bushes, we found the little monkey standing on a square stone and jumping back and forth. The stone looked very regular, but it was just an ordinary stone.

"That's right, this is the grave mound marked on the map." Luo Mei nodded.

"Here? Right here?" Du Yunzhang said disapprovingly, "Shen Wansan, a wealthy businessman who could rival a country, built his tomb like this? It's not even as good as the ancestral tomb of a rural rich man!"

Luo Mei rolled her eyes at Du Yunzhang. "What do you know? For a famous figure like Shen Wansan, the more wealthy he was during his lifetime, the more he had to keep a low profile after his death. He built a magnificent tomb. Isn't he afraid that it will attract tomb robbers and treasure hunters?"

"Hmph, no matter how cautious he is, he has attracted us here, hasn't he?" Du Yunzhang replied with a sneer.

Luo Mei snorted and ignored Du Yunzhang. Fan Zheng, however, took over the conversation: "Don't be fooled by the simple appearance of the tomb. Perhaps you'll find a whole new world inside!"

"Oh, I didn't expect that Director Fan, who is in the film industry, is also good at robbing graves!" Linlang couldn't help but teasing.

"That's not true. After all, I've read quite a few movie and play scripts, and they also contain stories about tomb raiding. It's not surprising to know this."

Yin Chuan paid no attention to Fan Zheng's explanation. He approached Luo Mei, who was carefully observing the square stone, and asked, "Is there a secret passageway to the tomb on or around it?"

"It should be, and it must be hidden very secretly, otherwise it would have been uncovered by other tomb robbers long ago." Luo Mei said as he lifted the weeds covering the edge of the stone. After a while, he finally made a discovery, "Here--"

Everyone gathered towards her at the same time. Fan Zheng was the first to approach and ask, "Have you found the entrance?"

"It's right here."

Luo Mei straightened the weeds beside the stone with one hand. Fan Zheng stepped forward and wanted to pull them out by the roots, but Luo Mei stopped him, "Don't move! If you pull the weeds carelessly, you won't be able to find the mechanism at the tomb entrance!"

Fan Zheng was startled, then obediently retracted his hand. Luo Mei whistled, summoning the little monkey. She handed the weeds in her hand to it, carefully sniffing each one. The monkey obediently sniffed them all, then hopped to the other sides of the stone, finding three more weeds. Luo Mei instructed the others to help grab the three weeds and pull them out together, following her instructions. Yin Chuan, Du Yunzhang, and Tan Zhuozi, each on one side, simultaneously followed her instructions. At her command, they pulled up the weeds by the roots, and then all felt their feet loosen, and the large square stone suddenly sank.

"Look! There's a hole here!" Linlang exclaimed.